154 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



isted as the remains of ancient time, 

 and perhaps they always will exist, but 

 the facts are patent to all that we 

 are made to suffer more and more as 

 the years roll by. We would not 

 therefore at present, with our limited 

 means and space at command, attempt 

 to answer the question, " can we con- 

 trol these influences 1" No, no ; but 

 we would rather come at once to a 

 few common and practical thoughts, 

 and let them act as 



LESSONS OF INSTRUCTION 



for ovir future guidance in life and the 

 management of those interests upon 

 which our national life so much de- 

 pends. We would remark, therefoi-e, 

 firstly, that by continually stripping 

 the country of its admirable forest 

 growth of timber, we are surely subject- 

 ing it more and more, as this desti-uction 

 advances, to heavy and disastrous spring 

 frosts, as well as destructive winter 

 winds. How these frosts occur, and 

 the reasons of them, must be sought in 

 our location, being, as it is, immediately 

 south of tremendous and never-ending 

 ice fields and mountains of snow in the 

 far untra versed north. The biting cold 

 of this region is at anytime likely to 

 come over us, as the slutting winds 

 from the north so effectually drive it 

 southward, producing at once a chilli- 

 ness that is felt, and a coldness that is 

 deathly in its fall in the shape of frosty 

 whiteness on our fields and orchards, 

 whenever there is no mitigating influ- 

 ence to prevent it. Now, we maintain 

 that the presence of neighboring trees 

 would be a friendly protection iix such 

 cases, and that tliey would largely 

 counteract the influences of frost, at 

 least on the soil below them, and these 

 cold winds driving over tliem would be 

 thus deprived of their sting and venom. 

 If this theory be correct, as we honestly 

 think it is, then the natural inference, 

 and the gi-eat lesson for us to learn, is 



the necessity of planting more trees 

 over our country for ornament and de- 

 fence against sudden cold to which we 

 find ourselves so liable from year to 

 year. Again, we would learn, secondly, 

 the wisdom of mixed culture and varied 

 production in our horticulture in this 

 country. 



In this case it is to be observed that 

 our straw))erry crop, for instance, was 

 just at that period of its growth when 

 it could receive the largest possible in- 

 jury should a severe frdfct fall upon it. 

 But the frost did fall upon it, and the 

 sad and disappointing results are that 

 half the promise was hopelessly des- 

 troyed. But, by way of contrast, 



THR RASPBERRY CROP, 



was in a different and much more back- 

 ward state of development where it 

 would receive the least damaging effect 

 should a frost fall upon it. The con- 

 sequence is in this case that the rasp- 

 berries are little or nothing injured by 

 this severe visitation. Here the lesson 

 of wisdom is to cultivate more rasp- 

 berries and such other crops as we know 

 will be least influenced by a frost at 

 this season should one occur, which is 

 almost sure to be the case as it a])pears 

 now to be a standing national institu- 

 tion. 



The various sorts of raspberries and 

 blackberries in their varied times of 

 ripening and their varied qualities 

 would form a very interesting succes- 

 sion of fine and excellent fruit which 

 would greatly balance against the 

 danger of injury of frost at this season 

 of the year. We cannot do whohlly 

 without the strawberry, but I think it 

 would be wisdom to depend less upon 

 them where the conditions are so un- 

 favorable. Thirdly, the question of 

 warders or protectors azid in many 

 instances the selection of choice and 

 favored spots or localities might be 

 possible and even j)i-actical. These 



